How did life begin? I was inspired by a video posted online [1] that accompanies a new paper showing tectonic plate movement over the last billion years. It’s always interesting …
AmplificationAnimal ImpactBiodiversity processesConservation principlesFood securityForestsNutrient transferRewildingWhy animals are important
The massive impact of animals on forest nutrients
A study recently published in the journal of Functional Ecology shows us how large fruit-eating animals can be responsible for massively enhancing forest nutrientA substance that contains the raw materials …
Animal ImpactAustraliaBiodiversity processesChaos reductionFood securityOceansRewildingSharks and RaysWhy animals are important
How do you reduce shark attacks? Try increasing shark numbers
Ecology is a complex science and so often, our simplest assumptions about how things work, don’t hold up in practice. Take sharks for example. How do you reduce shark attacks? …
Animal ImpactBiodiversity processesConservation principlesExtinctionHumans as animalsNature-based Solutions
Humans and mass extinction: who is the real victim?
It’s inevitable that at some stage, someone will say to me “why are you making animal conservationWhy is animal conservation important? Animal conservation is important, because animals are the only …
During the last ice-ageA period of reduction in Earth’s temperature of between about 4–7 degrees that resulted in the rapid expansion of ice sheets and glaciation of much of the …
Animal ImpactAustraliaBiodiversity processesBirdsConservation principlesRewildingWhy animals are important
A single lyrebird moves 350 tonnes of soil a year
Lyrebirds will make a few appearances in my forthcoming book. Mostly because they are are an outstanding and visible indicator of animal impactWhat is Animal Impact? Without wildlife, Earth would …
Animal ImpactBiodiversity processesBirdsFood securityNature-based SolutionsRarityRewildingSustainability
Using species’ potential range as an indicator of conservation importance
A new paper published in the journal Ecological Indicators proposes that we use indices of species’ potential range to inform conservation status (Mason et al, 2021). Findings like these should …
Animal ImpactBiodiversity processesChaos reductionClimate stabilityConservation principlesFood securityMegafaunaNature-based SolutionsRewilding
Biodiversity Conservation and the Earth System
A recent paper published in Trends in Ecology and Evolution sets out the increasing evidence that loss of large vertebrates in particular, is having massive impacts on ecosystem processes. The …
New research shows the impact of climate change on forests is to “scramble the biological clock of the forest floor“. The study shows how the change in timing of various …
Animal ImpactBiodiversity processesBirdsConservation principlesFood securityGrasslandInvertebratesMegafaunaMigrationNature-based SolutionsRewildingWhy animals are important
Addressing the rapid decline of insects means having more insect-eating birds
The life-histories of insects and vertebrates are coupled. Predator and prey cannot exist without one-another. Species richnessThe number of species within a given area. Note, this is often confused with …
